Innocent AndrewThe Swiss international is out of contract this summer and Gladbach are allowing him to leave for six to seven million due to him refusing to sign a new contract with the German club.
As we know, United have been searching for a new holding midfielder ever since club legend Michael Carrick retired back in 2019. The Red Devils have had to get by with the use of Fred and Scott McTominay which has not appeased fans.
What United are lacking in midfield as of now is presence and Denis Zakaria could be the perfect man to fill that void. Rangnick is said to be wanting a tall midfielder with Zakaria standing at six foot four.
Zakaria has tremendous athleticism with him able to cover ground at speed and not allow the opposition time on the ball. He has great ball carrying skills with him almost completing two dribbles per game in the Bundesliga – in comparison to McTominay and Fred who complete just over one dribble a game combined.
The lack of confidence on the ball from deeper areas has been a real thorn in United’s side – with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani receiving minimal service during games.
Zakaria’s passing figures are also far superior to Fred’s with the Swiss boasting a pass completion rate of 90% compared to Fred’s 83%. Rangnick wants the 25-year-old and judging by the statistics it would be a much needed upgrade to United’s midfield.
Rangnick knows Zakaria well even though he has never directly worked with him and has performed for Gladbach in the Bundesliga since 2017 before Liverpool targeted the midfielder’s services.
United are seriously light in midfield with Nemanja Matic, McTominay, Fred and Donny Van De Beek the only midfield options for Rangnick.
Zakaria who is now 25, is at his best when he’s able to blend his offensive and defensive duties at once. He’s inclined to keep the ball and play forwards, which is something that United are lacking.
The situation remains unclear with many different reports taking opposite sides. The German press are reporting that United are in talks with Zakaria’s agents but the English press report that there is no contact between Zakaria and United.
A fee of six million would be a steal for the Reds and time will tell on how much United want the Swiss midfielder.
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